12 days of Christmas: Day 8 – How I de-clutter possessions

New year, fresh beginnings. It’s the cliched hashtag and declaration made by a majority of people even me on occasion, this year I’m having a major clearance and reinforcing the mentality of “need over want”. Last year I saw this post on Facebook and it was a Chinese proverb, the story was (roughly) a man goes to a priest and he says “I want happiness”, the priest returns simply with “firstly, remove ‘I’ then remove ‘want’ then all you are left with is happiness”. This post really made me think, we want a lot. We expect a lot from others and want so many material things, often getting distracted and forgetting what’s really important.

I’ve come up with a few techniques for clearing that really work for me, just to highlight before I get in to it that anything decent should always be given to a charity or local shelter. I know in my area particularly there are drop off points with aid going to refugees, just always make sure that they are genuine and that any donations will reach their intended destination.

If a major cataclysmic event were to happen, what would you save? What has meaning to you? This probably would show straight away what possessions you would hold back and keep. Ask yourself this on a regular basis, it’s nice to have stuff but not an excess.

1 Have you used it in the last year? If the answer is no then unless it has any sentimental value chuck it. This can apply to anything, I know for a fact that I have some books lying around that I’ve barely flicked through since purchasing them and since I bought it I have no desire to read it. It could be that your taste has changed since you bought it and there is nothing wrong with that. If you feel bad for getting rid of something for nothing then you can always sell it on yourself, there are many platforms available online that can help you with this.

2 Why are you holding on to it? Again if there is sentimental value to it then keep it, but it depends on the sentiment. If it’s from a failed friendship or relationship and that is the only reason why you are keeping it then why would you hold on to something that brings you no happiness?

3 Have a goal in mind after you’ve had this clearout. It could be rearranging your living space to really enforce your state of mind or even new shelves, so something for you afterwards.

Sometimes we use having a lot of stuff and belongings around us to make us feel differently and that the thought of getting rid of this stuff can be really scary, almost like you’re missing something. But you’re not, heaven forbid a Tsunami it would all be washed away. Live events can really change your perspective on how you live and what you get out of life, it’s a similar reason why women get haircuts shortly after a break up.

What are your strategies for getting rid of stuff? Let me know in the comments below ⬇